Cloud CRM: How to Optimize Sales, Scale, and Succeed with NetHunt CRM

Originally published May 13, 2025, updated May 13, 2025

Secure, scalable, and simple — check all the benefits of NetHunt cloud CRM.

Customer satisfaction can make or break businesses. That’s why a cloud based CRM is a tool that most companies invest in to attract more leads, nurture them into lifelong customers, and effortlessly manage customer relationships overall.

‘But why not go with a traditional on-premises software?’ you’d ask. Well, because a good cloud CRM like NetHunt CRM, feature-rich yet budget-friendly, offers ultimate scalability and industry-standard security that are unachievable with traditional on-premises solutions. Plus, it’s really convenient as you’re not tied to the company’s office tech stack 🙂 You also get mobile access, which makes your data and tools available on the go.

Without further ado, let’s check out the features and benefits of a cloud CRM and see how easy it is to set up. And yes, we’ll use NetHunt CRM as our example 😉

What is cloud-based CRM and how it differs from traditional solutions

A cloud CRM software is a digital solution that centralizes all company’s operations and stores all your data in one place, helping businesses keep track of their customer data, interactions, and previous purchases online.

The beauty of cloud customer relationships management is that sales and marketing teams can access such a centralized database from anywhere with the Internet connection, which is especially valuable for global businesses and helps you boost employee productivity and engagement overall.

A good CRM system is built for all departments in the company, which means that other teams, including customer service agents, can access and use the system too.

So, what’s the key difference between on-premises and cloud based CRM software?

On-premises customer relationship management CRM requires servers and IT support, offering complete control but with hefty upfront costs.

Cloud based CRM systems, on the other hand, similar to web based CRM software, run on any device, anywhere — no servers, no IT headaches — just a flexible subscription to manage relationships from any place in the world.

This gives small businesses and large enterprises alike the flexibility to grow without infrastructure constraints.

5 must-have cloud CRM features to automate your business

Regardless of your niche, your cloud customer relationship management CRM should include these features to help your business grow and succeed.

#1: Lead management

A cloud CRM system with contact management functionality brings all your customer and partner details (phone numbers, emails, social media accounts, etc.) into one accessible cloud hub where you can access them all in the form of neatly organized customer records.

You can analyze customer activity, track purchase history, and segment users based on behaviors to create more targeted marketing campaigns. You can also use it to automate administrative tasks like sending follow-ups or updating records based on specific triggers.

#2: Sales and marketing automation

A web-based CRM visualizes your sales process aka deal progress and aligns your sales force with ongoing marketing campaigns. You can create pipelines, track details like deal owners and closing probabilities, and spot bottlenecks. Some AI-powered CRM tools even offer a built-in predictive analytics suite to identify potential customers.

The right CRM solution also allows you to send emails, schedule calls, or perform other actions triggered by specific events.

#3: Native integrations

A cloud CRM system is just one of many business solutions you can use. And it would be useless without efficient integrations with other business tools, such as email, VoIP tools, messengers, sales apps, and enterprise resource planning systems in some cases.

These integrations streamline processes aka customer service activities and provide a competitive advantage as they connect the dots across departments and help with aligning sales and marketing efforts.

❗ We advise you to choose a good CRM system with native integrations to ensure data security and avoid reliance on third-party connectors.

#4: Analytics and reporting

Cloud CRM solutions simplify large datasets, helping you track key metrics, measure campaign success, and evaluate the performance of sales, marketing teams, and even customer support teams in real time.

You can measure the success of your sales activities, analyze customer interactions, and gain industry insights with real-time dashboards and predictive analytics (if you’ve got AI-powered CRM tools).

#5: Data security

A CRM software not only stores your data but  also protects it. Yep, cloud CRM services will also ensure data security. Common security measures include data encryption, multi-factor authentication, and role-based access control.

With features like multi-factor authentication, encryption, and access control, your project management and communication remain secure.

Here is why you should pick NetHunt CRM as your cloud CRM for business success

With dozens of the best cloud CRM solutions on the market, the choice comes down to toolset and cost. NetHunt cloud CRM is best suited for businesses that heavily rely on email marketing or omnichannel communication. Plus, it offers a fast and easy setup so you don’t have to invest in training as you’re already working in your familiar environment.

Here are all the benefits you get with NetHunt cloud CRM 😉

Native Gmail and Google Workspace integration

NetHunt isn’t just a web based CRM. It integrates into the existing systems you use daily, such as Google Workspace, which makes it a great tool to unify and centralize customer data, automate processes, and boost productivity among your teams.

With NetHunt’s Google Workspace and Gmail integration, you can:

• Connect with Google Chat, Calendar, and other Google Workspace tools for a unified work experience
• Automatically create customer records from email, chats, and calls, and add them to your customer database in a click — no need for manual data entry
• Link emails to CRM records
• Run bulk email campaigns and monitor their performance
• Automate follow-ups with pre-set sequences
• Access CRM records directly from Calendar events
• Attach documents to deals and customer profiles
• Import CRM data into Looker Studio for real-time reports

Multichannel lead nurturing

NetHunt CRM helps you strengthen customer relationships and enhance customer engagement through consistent communication and personalization. With NetHunt’s multiple native integrations, tracking all forms of communication is easy. As a CRM in the cloud, NetHunt helps you to:

• Capture and nurture more sales leads coming from emails, website forms, popular social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and messengers
• View all your customer data and the customer’s history neatly organized in the Timeline section
• Communicate with all your current and potential customers in one place — no need to leave the system
• Set automated multichannel follow-up sequences and outbound sales campaigns

Honestly, you’ll find it way easier to drive more sales when your CRM system shows purchase history, saves all customer interactions in one place, and allows you to set up automated follow-ups.

Plus, such an approach helps your customer service teams process service requests and respond faster, which, in the end, leads to better customer experiences.

Now let’s talk more about sales automation that NetHunt cloud CRM offers and the freedom that comes with it.

Efficient sales automation

As the best cloud CRM software, NetHunt CRM is all about ultra-customizability and scalability to help you build workflows around your unique business needs. This means you can build a CRM system with complete sales cloud functionality that takes into account every tiny detail of your sales strategy and adapts as your business grows.

It also distributes leads automatically, assigns tasks, and updates deal status — all to boost efficiency across your teams and drive sales consistently.

NetHunt cloud CRM is an ultra-flexible solution that allows you to:

• Use ultra-customizable elements (folders, records, fields, pipelines) to build a sales workflow that suits your unique business processes
• Create ultra-customizable sales pipelines
• Set up complex automation sequences that activate whenever any field in a record is updated
• Automatically distribute leads among sales reps and assign tasks to your team members based on the deal changes
• Get your deal status automatically updated in the system

Robust and budget-friendly

Ultra-customizable, feature-rich, and budget-friendly, NetHunt CRM software offers a huge benefit for businesses of all sizes.

Unlike other cloud CRMs that compromise on functionality and come with high prices, NetHunt cloud CRM offers excellent value without sacrificing the key features. For instance, NetHunt's CRM plan, priced at $48 per user per month, offers similar features to Copper CRM's plan, which costs $69 per user per month.

The best part? We’ve got a free 14-day trial period, so you can decide whether NetHunt cloud CRM is the perfect fit for your business before committing.

Getting started with NetHunt cloud CRM solution

You can sign up for an account and start using the NetHunt cloud-based CRM within minutes. No hardware configuring is required.

Let’s walk through the initial steps to set up NetHunt CRM software and get it ready for your first sales.

1. Create an account by signing up for NetHunt CRM.
2. Download a NetHunt CRM for Gmail extension from the Chrome Web Store. Once installed, head back to your Gmail inbox.
3. Import your data from another CRM or Google Sheets. Don’t worry, you can do it in a few clicks. Just head to the Settings section, click on Import data, and choose the source you want to import it from. If it’s the Google Sheets.you’re importing it from, then you keep in mind that you’ll have to download all your contacts in a CVS file first.

Congrats! Now you can customize your new cloud based CRM system in a way that suits you best.

Here are a few things we recommend you to do first in your CRM journey:

• Invite your sales team to the workspace. You can add as many team members as your plan allows. Aside from emails, you need to specify team members’ roles. They will define the data access level and permissions within the cloud based CRM. Once team members accept your invitations, they’ll have full access to NetHunt CRM according to their assigned roles.
• Set up your sales pipeline. There are five default stages (New, Presentation, Negotiating, Won, and Lost), which you can, obviously, change. Add customer details, deal values, and the likelihood of closing. Plus, we advise you to automate the deal assignment process for an organized workflow as part of your project management.
• Integrate your cloud CRM solution with social media platforms, messengers, and other vital tools. Don’t worry, you can do it in a few clicks right within your CRM platform — no need for third-party integrators.

This might all seem like a maze of confusing steps, and we feel you — working with a new tool requires some time for adjustment. That’s why we’ve got our Help Center and NetHunt Community to make the adjustment process easy. Plus, our support team is always ready to answer your burning questions. You can even get a demo session! 😉

Benefits of cloud CRM software for businesses that want to succeed

If the toolset isn’t enough to convince you to switch from spreadsheets to cloud based CRM software, let’s look at the benefits it can unlock for your business from day one.

Minimal upfront and maintenance costs

With cloud based CRM solutions, you don’t need to invest in hardware or employ IT specialists to maintain on-premises customer relationship management software. It’s instantly ready for use after you set up a business account.

The only expense to cover is the monthly subscription. Anyway, most cloud-based CRM platforms offer flexible pricing plans to match the toolset and the number of users you need.

Reliable data security

The CRM hosted solutions take over the server-side security. They encrypt your data and use MFA and other security features to comply with local and international data security regulations.

You’ll still need to train your employees, encourage strong passwords, and monitor role-based access, but you won’t have to invest as much time and resources into security as you would with on-premises CRM tools.

To ensure you get the best out of your CRM, you may consider hiring a professional. You can easily hire CRM developer to optimize your system and ensure it meets your business needs.

High flexibility

Cloud CRM services are inherently flexible. And for small businesses, this adaptability is key. As your business grows, you can upgrade your plan to add new users and unlock extra features or data storage.

New benefits of cloud based CRM get available instantly, and you only pay for what you use. Meanwhile, on-premises CRM solutions would require lengthy and costly hardware and software upgrades to achieve the same results.

Improved sales performance

Offering more personalized customer experiences is the core benefit of a CRM on the cloud. Thanks to sales automation and tracking capabilities, cloud based CRM solutions help you boost conversion rates and, in the end, increase sales numbers.

Plus, your teams can offer better customer service that leads to more sales and exceptional customer experiences.

Final thoughts

Cloud CRM solutions come with minimal upfront costs and almost no system maintenance. With a quick simple subscription, you get instant scalability, data security, optimized team collaboration, and robust sales automation, all for a small price.

We offer you to start with NetHunt CRM in the cloud. Why? Because it’s budget-friendly, feature-rich, and made to help you manage customer relationships with ease. It offers an easy set up and can integrate seamlessly with tools you already use and love.

Plus, as a cloud-based CRM, NetHunt CRM can effortlessly automate business processes for you, whether it’s lead nurturing or task management.

Need more proof? See for yourself with a 14-day free trial.

Cloud CRM: FAQ

Table of Contents